This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 11-066846, filed Mar. 12, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to an electronic camera apparatus and a method for controlling reproduction of image, and more particularly to an electronic camera apparatus provided with an image buffer memory (work memory) having a capacity which can store a plurality of images and a method for the reproduction thereof.
Electronic still camera which stores image information of an object picked-up by the use of an image sensor such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device) in a recording device such as semiconductor memory exhibits particular advantages which are not involved in conventional silver-salt camera from such viewpoints that no developing procedure is required, that image information which has been taken into a personal computer or the like can be freely edited and processed, and that such image information can be transmitted to a remote place through a network.
In electronic still camera, it is generally carried out that image information is compressed to be stored in a recording device, while the image information is read out from the recording device to expand the same to restore the original image information in case of reproducing an image or outputting it to a personal computer and the like. Such compression recording is measures for utilizing efficiently capacity of a storage device to record images as much as possible.
In case of the above-mentioned compression processing or expansion processing, however, a certain degree of overhead time is required, even if such processing is carried out in a specially designed circuit under hardware circumstances. Accordingly, for example, when it is intended to display an image which is stored in a recording device on a monitor screen, there is such a problem in that the image cannot be reproduced after elapse of at least the above described overhead time (more precisely, a period of time required for reading the image from the storage device plus the above described overhead time) after completing a reproducing operation of image by pushing a prescribed key switch, so that instantaneous reproduction of image cannot be realized.
Furthermore, since electronic still camera uses generally a storage device such as flash memory having a comparatively slow readout speed or another storage device such as memory card being detachable with respect to its camera main body in view of cost, there is such a problem in that a period of time require for reading an image from storage device is not ignored, so that instantaneous reproduction of image cannot be achieved also in this case.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic camera apparatus by which instantaneous reproduction of image can be improved and a method for controlling the reproduction thereof.
In order to achieve the above described object, according to one aspect of the present invention, an electronic camera apparatus comprises
image pick-up means (an image pick-up device) for picking up an object to output image data;
first image storage means (an image memory) for storing the image data output from the image pick-up means;
second image storage means (a buffer memory) for storing the image data read out from the first image storage means;
means (a display device) for displaying the image data read out from the second image storage means;
means for specifying image data to be displayed by the displaying means;
means for determining whether or not the image data specified by the specifying means is stored in the second image storage means;
first display control means for reading out the image data specified by the specifying means from the first image storage means to store the same in the second image storage means, and then, reading out the image data from the second image storage means to display the same by the display means when it is determined by the determining means that the image data is not stored in the second image storage means; and
second display control means for reading out the image data specified by the specifying means from the second image storage means to display the same on the display means when it is determined by the determining means that the image data is stored in the second image storage means.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic camera apparatus comprises
image pick-up means (an image pick-up device) for picking up an object to output image data;
first image storage means (a buffer memory) for storing the image data output from the image pick-up means;
second image storage means (an image memory) for storing the image data read out from the first image storage means;
means (a display device) for displaying the image data read out from the second image storage means;
means for specifying image data to be displayed by the displaying means;
means for determining whether or not the image data specified by the specifying means is stored in the first image storage means;
first display control means for reading out the image data specified by the specifying means from the second image storage means to display the same by the displaying means when it is determined by the determining means that the image data is not stored in the first image storage means; and
second display control means for reading out the image data specified by the specifying means from the first image storage means to display the same by the displaying means when it is determined by the determining means that the image data is stored in the first image storage means.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling reproduction of image in an electronic camera apparatus in which image data obtained by picking up an object is stored in an image memory, and image data stored in the image memory is displayed on a display device, comprises
specifying the image data to be displayed on the display device;
determining whether or not the specified image data exists in a work memory; and
reading out the specified image data from the work memory to display the same on the display device when it is determined that the specified image data exists in the work memory.
According to the electronic camera and the reproduction controlling method of the present invention, it becomes possible to achieve improvements in instantaneous reproduction of image.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present invention.
The objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.